TechRadar News

• Lenovo’s ThinkPad P14s Gen 6 supports up to 96GB DDR5 RAM, but only with Krackan Point CPU models
• Rapid Charge delivers 80% power in 60 minutes using a 65W USB-C adapter
• However its battery may struggle under heavy performance loads

Lenovo has announced its most powerful AMD laptop yet: the ThinkPad P14s Gen 6, which is set to launch with the 12-core AMD Ryzen AI 9 HX Pro 370, making it the company's first AMD-powered model to break past the eight-core ceiling.

Aimed at creative professionals and mobile users who need both AI processing and core-heavy performance, the ThinkPad P14s Gen 6 supports up to 96GB of DDR5-5600 RAM - but only in configurations using the Krackan Point CPUs, namely the Ryzen AI 5 Pro 340 and Ryzen AI 7 Pro 350.

That means the 12-core Strix Point model may be capped at 64GB of soldered memory. While it's a limitation, it still offers enough for demanding workloads like 3D rendering or Photoshop, making it a strong candidate for users searching for the best laptop for photo editing.

Poor choice of battery

While the processing capacity could place it among the best workstation contenders in terms of raw power, there’s a drawback: the model’s battery may struggle to match the chip’s power demands.

Weighing 1.39 kg (3.06 lbs) and measuring 10.9–16.3 mm thick, the device uses either a 57Whr or 52.5Whr battery, depending on the CPU.

Although both batteries are larger than the weedy 39.3Whr battery on the previous ThinkPad P14s Gen 5, they may still struggle under the load of the new, more powerful processors. However, the laptop supports Rapid Charge with a 65W adapter, capable of reaching 80% battery in 60 minutes.

This lightweight mobile workstation, currently listed on Lenovo Malaysia’s website, features a 14-inch 2.8K OLED panel with 100% DCI-P3 coverage and an anti-glare coating.

It includes TÜV certifications for Eyesafe and Low Blue Light, a touchscreen, integrated PrivacyGuard, and will be available in different IPS variants offering up to 500-nit brightness.

Graphics are handled by an integrated AMD Radeon 890M, built on RDNA 3.5 architecture, delivering up to 32 TOPS and supported by AMD’s PRO Graphics Driver.

For connectivity, the device offers WiFi 7, Bluetooth 5.3, optional 5G or CAT16 WWAN with eSIM, and optional NFC.

Physical ports include two USB-C (Thunderbolt 4) ports, two USB-A (5 Gbps) ports, HDMI 2.1, RJ45 Ethernet, a headphone/mic combo jack, and optional Nano SIM and smart card readers.

Price and availability remain unclear, as the listing simply states “available soon.” Given that the T14 Gen 6 AMD models are unlikely to ship before May or June 2025, the P14s variant likely won’t hit shelves before summer either.

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ChatGPT’s memory used to be simple. You told it what to remember, and it listened.

Since 2024, ChatGPT has had a memory feature that lets users store helpful context. From your tone of voice and writing style to your goals, interests, and ongoing projects. You could go into settings to view, update, or delete these memories. Occasionally, it would note something important on its own. But largely, it remembered what you asked it to. Now, that’s changing.

OpenAI, the company behind ChatGPT, is rolling out a major upgrade to its memory. Beyond the handful of facts you manually saved, ChatGPT will now draw from all of your past conversations to inform future responses by itself.

According to OpenAI, memory now works in two ways: “saved memories,” added directly by the user, and insights from “chat history,” which are the ones that ChatGPT will gather automatically.

This feature, called long-term or persistent memory, is rolling out to ChatGPT Plus and Pro users. However, at the time of writing, it’s not available in the UK, EU, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway, or Switzerland due to regional regulations.

The idea here is simple: the more ChatGPT remembers, the more helpful it becomes. It’s a big leap for personalization. But it’s also a good moment to pause and ask what we might be giving up in return.

A memory that gets personal

(Image credit: Shutterstock)

It’s easy to see the appeal here. A more personalized experience from ChatGPT means you explain yourself less and get more relevant answers. It’s helpful, efficient, and familiar.

“Personalization has always been about memory,” says Rohan Sarin, Product Manager at Speechmatics, an AI speech tech company. “Knowing someone for longer means you don’t need to explain everything to them anymore.”

He gives an example: ask ChatGPT to recommend a pizza place, and it might gently steer you toward something more aligned with your fitness goals – a subtle nudge based on what it knows about you. It's not just following instructions, it’s reading between the lines.

“That’s how we get close to someone,” Sarin says. “It’s also how we trust them.” That emotional resonance is what makes these tools feel so useful – maybe even comforting. But it also raises the risk of emotional dependence. Which, arguably, is the whole point.

“From a product perspective, storage has always been about stickiness,” Sarin tells me. “It keeps users coming back. With each interaction, the switching cost increases.”

OpenAI doesn’t hide this. The company's CEO,. Sam Altman, tweeted that memory enables “AI systems that get to know you over your life, and become extremely useful and personalized.”

That usefulness is clear. But so is the risk of depending on them not just to help us, but to know us.

Does it remember like we do?

(Image credit: Getty Images)

A challenge with long-term memory in AI is its inability to understand context in the same way humans do.

We instinctively compartmentalize, separating what’s private from what’s professional, what’s important from what’s fleeting. ChatGPT may struggle with that sort of context switching.

Sarin points out that because people use ChatGPT for so many different things, those lines may blur. “IRL, we rely on non-verbal cues to prioritize. AI doesn’t have those. So memory without context could bring up uncomfortable triggers.”

He gives the example of ChatGPT referencing magic and fantasy in every story or creative suggestion just because you mentioned liking Harry Potter once. Will it draw from past memories even if they're no longer relevant? “Our ability to forget is part of how we grow,” he says. “If AI only reflects who we were, it might limit who we become.”

Without a way to rank, the model may surface things that feel random, outdated, or even inappropriate for the moment.

Bringing AI memory into the workplace

Persistent memory could be hugely useful for work. Julian Wiffen, Chief of AI and Data Science at Matillion, a data integration platform with AI built in, sees strong use cases: “It could improve continuity for long-term projects, reduce repeated prompts, and offer a more tailored assistant experience," he says.

But he’s also wary. “In practice, there are serious nuances that users, and especially companies, need to consider.” His biggest concerns here are privacy, control, and data security.

“I often experiment or think out loud in prompts. I wouldn’t want that retained – or worse, surfaced again in another context,” Wiffen says. He also flags risks in technical environments, where fragments of code or sensitive data might carry over between projects, raising IP or compliance concerns. “These issues are magnified in regulated industries or collaborative settings.”

Whose memory is it anyway?

OpenAI stresses that users can still manage memory – delete individual memories that aren't relevant anymore, turn it off entirely, or use the new “Temporary Chat” button. This now appears at the top of the chat screen for conversations that are not informed by past memories and won't be used to build new ones either.

However, Wiffen says that might not be enough. “What worries me is the lack of fine-grained control and transparency,” he says. “It's often unclear what the model remembers, how long it retains information, and whether it can be truly forgotten.”

He’s also concerned about compliance with data protection laws, like GDPR: “Even well-meaning memory features could accidentally retain sensitive personal data or internal information from projects. And from a security standpoint, persistent memory expands the attack surface.” This is likely why the new update hasn't rolled out globally yet.

What’s the answer? “We need clearer guardrails, more transparent memory indicators, and the ability to fully control what’s remembered and what’s not," Wiffen explains.

Not all AI remembers the same

(Image credit: OpenAI & Google & Microsoft)

Other AI tools are taking different approaches to memory. For example, AI assistant Claude doesn’t store persistent memory outside your current conversation. That means fewer personalization features, but more control and privacy.

Perplexity, an AI search engine, doesn’t focus on memory at all – it retrieves real-time web information instead. Whereas Replika, AI designed for emotional companionship, goes the other way, storing long-term emotional context to deepen relationships with users.

So, each system handles memory differently based on its goals. And the more they know about us, the better they fulfill those goals – whether that’s helping us write, connect, search, or feel understood.

The question isn’t whether memory is useful; I think it clearly is. The question is whether we want AI to become this good at fulfilling these roles.

It’s easy to say yes because these tools are designed to be helpful, efficient, even indispensable. But that usefulness isn’t neutral, it’s intentional. These systems are built by companies that benefit when we rely on them more.

You wouldn’t willingly give up a second brain that remembers everything about you, possibly better than you do. And that’s the point. That’s what the companies behind your favorite AI tools are counting on.

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• 18-inch Schenker laptop is powered by an Intel Core Ultra 9 275HX CPU
• It offers a choice Nvidia RTX GPUs and up to 256GB of RAM and 32TB of storage
• Advanced cooling system keeps it quiet and there’s a choice of performance profiles

If you’re in the market for a high-performance mobile workstation with impressive performance, high capacity storage, and advanced thermal management, then this 18-inch laptop from German hardware manufacturer Schenker should be right up your strasse.

The Schenker Key 18 Pro (E25), Schenker’s first 18-inch laptop in nearly 14 years, is powered by an Intel Core Ultra 9 275HX CPU and a choice of three top-tier Nvidia GeForce RTX graphics cards, including the RTX 5090, RTX 5080, and RTX 5070 Ti.

The Key 18 Pro supports up to 256GB of RAM and offers four M.2 SSD slots, one of which uses PCIe 5.0, for up to 32TB SSD storage. The system supports RAID 1 configurations and comes with thermal pads for both occupied and spare storage slots.

Keeping cool

The laptop’s cooling setup includes a composite heat pipe system with two fans, four exhaust vents, and thermal pads made of Honeywell PTM7950. These contribute to a quieter operation compared to the new laptop’s predecessor, the KEY 17 Pro (M24). Buyers can choose from three performance profiles that balance speed and acoustics through software or a hotkey shortcut.

There are two 18-inch display options available, a 1600p 240Hz model and a 4K 200Hz variant, both with full DCI-P3 coverage, 500 nits brightness, and G-SYNC support. Display switching between integrated and discrete graphics is handled via Advanced Optimus or a manual MUX switch.

Connectivity includes two Thunderbolt 5 ports, two 2.5 Gigabit Ethernet ports, HDMI 2.1, and Wi-Fi 7. A redesigned 330W power supply now uses a standard 5.5mm barrel connector. The laptop also includes a 5 MP webcam with privacy shutter and a sound system with a subwoofer.

With a footprint of 402 x 320 x 29.5mm and a weight of 3.95kg, the device fits into the larger end of portable workstations, but it’s well within an acceptable range for mobile professionals.

Prices at Bestware.com start at €3,199 (including 19% VAT). A full-spec model costs around €8,614 (with VAT), which is considerably lower than Eurocom's similarly specced Raptor X18 laptop.

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• A 'consistent volume' setting is spotted in YouTube Music
• It should prevent tracks being wildly different in their volume levels
• Not everyone is getting the feature right away

Having a track come crashing in at an unexpectedly high volume level – or being much quieter than what's come before – isn't a great listening experience, and it's something YouTube Music is aiming to prevent with its latest feature update.

As spotted by the team at 9to5Google, a new option called 'consistent volume' is now making its way to the YouTube Music apps for Android and iOS. The idea is, all your tracks, no matter where you've got them from, will use a similar volume range.

Loud songs will still be loud and quiet songs will still be quiet of course, but it should help with tracks that have been recorded or converted at noticeably different volume levels, so your ears know more or less what to expect.

The feature follows on from the 'stable volume' feature that's been available across different YouTube apps for some time. It's also something you can find inside Spotify's range of apps, where it's called 'audio normalization'.

Slowly appearing

It seems that the consistent volume feature is being rolled out quite slowly, or perhaps just being tested with a limited group of people for now. The 9to5Google team has seen it on some of their phones, but it hasn't shown up for the Android Authority team.

If you don't have it yet, you'll just have to be patient. To check if you've got it, open up the YouTube Music app for Android or iOS, then tap your profile picture (top right) and Settings, then choose Playback (Android) or Playback and restrictions (iOS).

Here in the UK I can't see it on either my Android phone or my iPhone, so don't be surprised if it hasn't shown up yet for you. According to 9to5Google, you need version 8.15 of the YouTube Music app, so check to see if any updates are pending.

It's certainly a feature that YouTube Music users have been wanting, with Reddit threads going back years on the topic. As yet there's not been any official announcement about this from Google, but we'll let you know if one appears.

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Shrinking season 3: key information

- Production on season 3 has already begun
- It will return to Apple TV+
- The main cast are returning
- A new cast member has been added
- The theme of the show is “moving forward”

Shrinking season 3 is officially on the way, and fans of the heartwarming (and often hilarious) Apple TV+ series have plenty to look forward to.

Created by Bill Lawrence, Jason Segel, and Brett Goldstein, the comedy-drama follows therapist Jimmy Laird (played by Segel) as he starts breaking the rules with his patients while grieving the loss of his wife. His unconventional approach shakes up their lives, and his, in unexpected ways.

The show has been praised for its emotional depth, excellent performances, and its ability to balance sharp humor with heartfelt storytelling. It's easily one of the best Apple TV+ shows and season 2 was even more acclaimed than the first, so it’s no surprise there’s already serious buzz about what’s next.

While Apple's renewal of Shrinking season 3 itself wasn’t a shock – Bill Lawrence has always said that the show was originally pitched as a three-season arc – the speed of the green light shows Apple’s confidence in where it’s headed.

So, what can we expect from season 3 of Shrinking? Below, we’ve gathered everything we know so far, from returning cast members to potential storylines for Jimmy, Alice, and the rest of the crew.

Shrinking season 3: when will it be released?

Jason Segel and Jessica Williams star in season 2 of Shrinking, how will their dynamic develop in season 3? (Image credit: Apple TV Plus)

There are no official details yet about when Shrinking season 3 will be released. But the good news is that the third season was greenlit just as season 2 was launching – and everything seems to be moving quickly since. That suggests we may still have a bit of a wait, but likely not as long as some other shows.

In even better news, production is now already underway. Apple TV+ recently shared an update on Twitter/X confirming that Shrinking season 3 has officially started filming.

The post includes a behind-the-scenes video featuring co-creator Bill Lawrence welcoming back the main cast, including Jason Segel, Harrison Ford, Jessica Williams, Christa Miller, Michael Urie, and Ted McGinley.

A word from Bill Lawrence: #Shrinking Season 3 is now in production. pic.twitter.com/nYWIRdTrOFMarch 19, 2025

While there’s still no confirmed release window, we can make a few educated guesses. It took two years for season 2 to arrive after season 1, but that gap was largely due to the Hollywood strikes in 2023. This time, the turnaround is expected to be much faster, since season 3 was renewed early and filming is already in progress.

For comparison, season 2 was filmed between January and June 2024 and released in the fall of that year. If season 3 follows a similar production schedule – and so far it seems to be – a fall 2025 release feels like a realistic estimate.

Even before Apple’s video update, Christa Miller (who plays Liz) had already confirmed that filming was about to begin. In a heartfelt Instagram video, she spoke about the shoot taking place in Los Angeles – a meaningful decision for the cast and crew following recent wildfires in the area.

A post shared by Christa Miller (@christabmiller)

A photo posted by on

“It’s a really special moment for our cast and crew. Because not only do we shoot in Pasadena, we film in Altadena as well," she says.

“And after the devastating fires that hit Los Angeles, it feels more important than ever to support all of the communities that have been affected and this is the city where the magic happens and stories are told and dreams come true and that’s why our show is staying here.”

Shrinking season 3: has a trailer been released?

There’s no trailer for Shrinking season 3 just yet – it’s still early days, with filming only just underway. But that just means we’ve got something to look forward to.

If we’re aiming for a late 2025 release (and yes, that’s still just speculation), a first teaser or trailer might drop sometime in the summer. As soon as it’s released, we’ll update this page and include it here.

In the meantime, you can always revisit the Shrinking season 2 trailer to have a look at where we left off.

Shrinking season 3: confirmed cast

Harrison Ford and Jason Segel play Jimmy Laird and Dr. Paul Rhoades in Shrinking. How will their dynamic change when Jimmy's real dad shows up? (Image credit: Apple TV Plus )

We know Jason Segel is returning, he’s the main character, co-creator, and one of the writers. But what about the rest of the cast? For the most part, yes. Most of the core cast is expected to return, and as always, we can look forward to some standout guest stars along the way.

Speaking to Variety in 2023 about the cast and the three seasons he had planned, Bill Lawrence said: “Part of the fun for me in doing shows with, like, Jason Segel and Harrison Ford, is that you can tell actors that you’ve always wanted to work with, ‘If you give me three seasons, that’s fine if you want to split.’ So all I can tell you is that all the gang that we roped in for this one was down for doing that.”

We know a lot of the main cast from the first two seasons are returning, this includes:

• Harrison Ford as Paul
• Lukita Maxwell as Alex
• Ted McGinley as Derek
• Christa Miller as Liz
• Jason Segel as Jimmy
• Luke Tennie as Sean
• Michael Urie as Brian
• Jessica Williams as Gaby

We’ve also got some early casting news. According to Deadline, Jeff Daniels is joining the series as Jimmy’s father. He’s been mentioned a few times across the first two seasons, but otherwise, Daniels’ character remains a mystery – no official details have been revealed about his role just yet.

What we do know is that Harrison Ford’s Dr. Paul Rhoades has been a father figure to Jimmy and a grandfather figure to Alice, so it’ll be interesting to see how that dynamic shifts with Jimmy’s real dad now in the picture.

It also looks like Brett Goldstein could be making a return as Louis. Lawrence was talking to Deadline and, when asked if Louis would return for season 3, said: “Yeah, I gotta leverage that dude. I think the ending was satisfying. I hope it was for people. But I think I’ve been public about saying the first year is about grief, the second year was about forgiveness and third year’s about moving forward.”

He continued: “I don’t think you can do this show about moving forward without knowing how that guy’s life moves forward, at least for an episode or two. So now I just got to leverage Brett into doing what I want him to do. He’s a very busy man. It’s very frustrating.”

In another interview with TV Line, Lawrence said: “I’m going to strong-arm Brett into showing his face, hopefully, at least a couple more times.” So although we don’t know for sure, it really sounds like Lawrence wants Goldstein back, at least for an episode or two.

Shrinking season 3: story synopsis and rumors

Jason Segel is not only Jimmy Laird, the star of Shrinking, but he's a co-creator and writer, too (Image credit: Apple TV Plus)

Potential spoilers follow for Shrinking below.

Apple TV+ and the Shrinking team haven’t shared any official plot details just yet, but the creators have dropped some interesting hints in interviews.

In a 2023 conversation with Variety, co-creator Bill Lawrence revealed that the show was pitched with a clear three-season arc:

“The second year is about forgiveness, and the third year is about moving forward [...] We pitched three seasons – the beginning, middle and end,”

That kind of clarity is always reassuring. When a show knows exactly where it’s headed, it often means more satisfying stories and stronger emotional payoffs. That said, don’t expect a neatly wrapped ending.

In a more recent interview with TV Insider, Lawrence explained:

“You can imagine by just the overarching title of forgiveness that what we’re really going to be watching is whether – and by the way, it’s not always cut and dry. I think we all have people in our life that we can never get over the hump with. And so Shrinking, it’s not necessarily going to be the most hunky dory, soft edges type of ending.”

He added: “Whenever anybody undergoes a true catastrophic stick in the spokes in their life, like the characters in the show did, what you’re really talking about the first two years is what it means to survive and then kind of bury the hatchet and mend fences. But that doesn’t necessarily mean you’re going to be able to move forward in your life and start over again. I think that’s what people will probably be watching the third year.”

And looking ahead to what’s next, he says: “And when you say moving forward, even off the top of my head so it’s not a spoiler, I think people are aware that we’ve intentionally made a young woman who’s a senior in high school. We’ve potentially gotten some people in serious relationships. We’ve intentionally been looking at Harrison Ford’s character and how much longer can he do this with the condition he has. And so I think it’s going to be a rich third year too. I say that because we’re already writing it.”

So, while it's unlikely Shrinking will tie everything up in a neat bow, we can expect the characters to be facing some major crossroads – especially when it comes to aging, independence, parenting, and starting over.

Even without teasers, we can make a few educated guesses about season 3 of Shrinking based on how season 2 wrapped.

Jimmy ended up forgiving Louis and, ultimately, saving his life. That arc also helped Jimmy process his grief and forgive himself. His relationship with Alice began to heal too. After months of tension and emotional distance, she forgave him for how he’d acted in the wake of her mother’s death.

As for the other characters, Paul (Harrison Ford) had his own moment of truth, admitting he’ll need support as his Parkinson’s disease worsens. In an interview with The Hollywood Reporter, Lawrence said that Paul’s story is “gonna be a huge part of next year”.

There’s also a hint at a new storyline from Christa Miller (Liz), who posted a behind-the-scenes photo of herself holding a baby on Instagram.

A post shared by Christa Miller (@christabmiller)

A photo posted by on

This would line up with how season 2 ended. Brian and Charlie were preparing to adopt, and they asked Liz to help out. She agreed, possibly taking on a nanny role.

With so many emotional threads in play, season 3 is shaping up to be an opportunity to dig deeper into growth, change, and how people move forward.

Will there be more seasons of Shrinking?

Jimmy's arc in Shrinking season 2 was really satisfying to watch (Image credit: Apple TV Plus)

Now that season 3 is officially happening, and Bill Lawrence has revealed that he knows where it’s headed, the big question is, could Shrinking continue beyond that into future seasons? Right now, it doesn’t seem likely.

Lawrence has been clear from the start that Shrinking was always envisioned as a three season story. He’s even hinted at how things will wrap up. That said, in TV land, we’ve learned to never say never.

Just because season 4 isn’t part of the original arc doesn’t mean the show couldn’t return in some form – especially if the audience keeps showing up and Apple sees potential. Still, fans probably shouldn’t hold their breath for more Shrinking after season 3. And if it did happen? It would likely take longer to hit screens, since the first three seasons were plotted from the start, and anything beyond would require a whole new chapter.

For now, it looks like this story has an end in sight, but stranger things have happened.

For more Apple TV+ series-based coverage, read our guides on Severance season 3, Silo season 3 and Slow Horses season 5.

Looking for a different day?

A new NYT Connections puzzle appears at midnight each day for your time zone – which means that some people are always playing 'today's game' while others are playing 'yesterday's'. If you're looking for Saturday's puzzle instead then click here: NYT Connections hints and answers for Saturday, April 19 (game #677).

Good morning! Let's play Connections, the NYT's clever word game that challenges you to group answers in various categories. It can be tough, so read on if you need Connections hints.

What should you do once you've finished? Why, play some more word games of course. I've also got daily Strands hints and answers and Quordle hints and answers articles if you need help for those too, while Marc's Wordle today page covers the original viral word game.

SPOILER WARNING: Information about NYT Connections today is below, so don't read on if you don't want to know the answers.

NYT Connections today (game #679) - today's words

(Image credit: New York Times)

Today's NYT Connections words are…

• BAR
• JOKE
• BUNNY
• SHIRT
• DYE
• WHIP
• SOCK
• РЕЕР
• EGG
• GANDER
• HIP
• RUBBER BANDS
• LOOK
• BASIN
• CODE
• GLANCE

NYT Connections today (game #679) - hint #1 - group hints

What are some clues for today's NYT Connections groups?

• YELLOW: Eye spy
• GREEN: 70s DIY fashion
• BLUE: The common theme rhymes with “back” 
• PURPLE: A small jump

Need more clues?

We're firmly in spoiler territory now, but read on if you want to know what the four theme answers are for today's NYT Connections puzzles…

NYT Connections today (game #679) - hint #2 - group answers

What are the answers for today's NYT Connections groups?

• YELLOW: GLIMPSE 
• GREEN: NEEDS FOR TIE-DYEING A SHIRT 
• BLUE: THINGS YOU CAN CRACK 
• PURPLE: WORDS BEFORE "HOP" 

Right, the answers are below, so DO NOT SCROLL ANY FURTHER IF YOU DON'T WANT TO SEE THEM.

NYT Connections today (game #679) - the answers

(Image credit: New York Times)

The answers to today's Connections, game #679, are…

• YELLOW: GLIMPSE GANDER, GLANCE, LOOK, PEEP
• GREEN: NEEDS FOR TIE-DYEING A SHIRT BASIN, DYE, RUBBER BANDS, SHIRT
• BLUE: THINGS YOU CAN CRACK CODE, EGG, JOKE, WHIP
• PURPLE: WORDS BEFORE "HOP" BAR, BUNNY, HIP, SOCK

• My rating: Hard
• My score: 3 mistakes

I got the green group NEEDS FOR TIE-DYEING without knowing what I was looking for, just a process of elimination with the eight words I had left. It’s not something that I’ve ever personally done and I had no idea of the process.

GLIMPSE was a good deal easier — interestingly, GANDER was in yesterday’s “Take a ___” themed Strands and the trick pairing of PEEPs and BUNNY appeared in today’s. It feels like we are getting ever closer to a mash-up between the two puzzles – like when the cast of Family Guy appeared in The Simpsons.

THINGS YOU CAN CRACK was a great category for Easter, although I almost included HIP.

How did you do today? Let me know in the comments below.

Yesterday's NYT Connections answers (Saturday, 19 April, game #678)

• YELLOW: SPOKEN PRESENTATION ADDRESS, LECTURE, SPEECH, TALK
• GREEN: ADJECTIVES FOR A DESERT DRY, HOT, SANDY, VAST
• BLUE: DOG BREEDS, INFORMALLY BULLY, CHOW, GOLDEN, LAB
• PURPLE: REPRESENTED BY THREE-DIGIT NUMBERS CANNABIS, DEVIL, INTRO CLASS, JAMES BOND

What is NYT Connections?

NYT Connections is one of several increasingly popular word games made by the New York Times. It challenges you to find groups of four items that share something in common, and each group has a different difficulty level: green is easy, yellow a little harder, blue often quite tough and purple usually very difficult.

On the plus side, you don't technically need to solve the final one, as you'll be able to answer that one by a process of elimination. What's more, you can make up to four mistakes, which gives you a little bit of breathing room.

It's a little more involved than something like Wordle, however, and there are plenty of opportunities for the game to trip you up with tricks. For instance, watch out for homophones and other word games that could disguise the answers.

It's playable for free via the NYT Games site on desktop or mobile.

Looking for a different day?

A new NYT Strands puzzle appears at midnight each day for your time zone – which means that some people are always playing 'today's game' while others are playing 'yesterday's'. If you're looking for Saturday's puzzle instead then click here: NYT Strands hints and answers for Saturday, April 19 (game #412).

Strands is the NYT's latest word game after the likes of Wordle, Spelling Bee and Connections – and it's great fun. It can be difficult, though, so read on for my Strands hints.

Want more word-based fun? Then check out my NYT Connections today and Quordle today pages for hints and answers for those games, and Marc's Wordle today page for the original viral word game.

SPOILER WARNING: Information about NYT Strands today is below, so don't read on if you don't want to know the answers.

NYT Strands today (game #413) - hint #1 - today's theme What is the theme of today's NYT Strands?

• Today's NYT Strands theme is… On the hunt

NYT Strands today (game #413) - hint #2 - clue words

Play any of these words to unlock the in-game hints system.

• SEEDY
• CAKE
• SOAK
• NECK
• CARE
• BORE

NYT Strands today (game #413) - hint #3 - spangram letters How many letters are in today's spangram?

• Spangram has 12 letters

NYT Strands today (game #413) - hint #4 - spangram position What are two sides of the board that today's spangram touches?

First side: left, 4th row

Last side: right, 3rd row

Right, the answers are below, so DO NOT SCROLL ANY FURTHER IF YOU DON'T WANT TO SEE THEM.

NYT Strands today (game #413) - the answers

(Image credit: New York Times)

The answers to today's Strands, game #413, are…

• BUNNY
• TOYS
• BOOK
• EGGS
• CHOCOLATE
• CANDY
• PEEPS
• SPANGRAM: EASTER BASKET

• My rating: Easy
• My score: Perfect

An easy, relaxing wordsearch that saw my mind wandering.

I have a friend in construction who spent 18 months building an enormous factory that was completely dedicated to year-round production of Easter EGGS. It seems crazy for a product that really should just be available for a couple of weeks a year.

However, in the UK, Easter has a bigger build-up than any other chocolate-based holiday (let’s face it, they’re all about the chocolate). Almost as soon as Christmas is over the first hollow chocolate eggs start appearing – from actual egg-sized to chocolate eggs the size of your head – slowly multiplying and taking up entire supermarket aisles until tomorrow, when they will vanish completely.

According to my research (erm, TikTok) things seem a bit calmer elsewhere in the world – although the US has PEEPS, a marshmallow delight that has failed to make it anywhere else in the world. Maybe they have really high tariffs or something.

How did you do today? Let me know in the comments below.

Yesterday's NYT Strands answers (Saturday, 19 April, game #412)

• HINT
• CHANCE
• HIKE
• GANDER
• NUMBER
• SELFIE
• BREATHER
• SPANGRAM: TAKE THAT

What is NYT Strands?

Strands is the NYT's not-so-new-any-more word game, following Wordle and Connections. It's now a fully fledged member of the NYT's games stable that has been running for a year and which can be played on the NYT Games site on desktop or mobile.

I've got a full guide to how to play NYT Strands, complete with tips for solving it, so check that out if you're struggling to beat it each day.

Looking for a different day?

A new Quordle puzzle appears at midnight each day for your time zone – which means that some people are always playing 'today's game' while others are playing 'yesterday's'. If you're looking for Saturday's puzzle instead then click here: Quordle hints and answers for Saturday, April 19 (game #1181).

Quordle was one of the original Wordle alternatives and is still going strong now more than 1,100 games later. It offers a genuine challenge, though, so read on if you need some Quordle hints today – or scroll down further for the answers.

Enjoy playing word games? You can also check out my NYT Connections today and NYT Strands today pages for hints and answers for those puzzles, while Marc's Wordle today column covers the original viral word game.

SPOILER WARNING: Information about Quordle today is below, so don't read on if you don't want to know the answers.

Quordle today (game #1182) - hint #1 - Vowels How many different vowels are in Quordle today?

• The number of different vowels in Quordle today is 4*.

* Note that by vowel we mean the five standard vowels (A, E, I, O, U), not Y (which is sometimes counted as a vowel too).

Quordle today (game #1182) - hint #2 - repeated letters Do any of today's Quordle answers contain repeated letters?

• The number of Quordle answers containing a repeated letter today is 1.

Quordle today (game #1182) - hint #3 - uncommon letters Do the letters Q, Z, X or J appear in Quordle today?

• No. None of Q, Z, X or J appear among today's Quordle answers.

Quordle today (game #1182) - hint #4 - starting letters (1) Do any of today's Quordle puzzles start with the same letter?

• The number of today's Quordle answers starting with the same letter is 0.

If you just want to know the answers at this stage, simply scroll down. If you're not ready yet then here's one more clue to make things a lot easier:

Quordle today (game #1182) - hint #5 - starting letters (2) What letters do today's Quordle answers start with?

• D

• H

• S

• F

Right, the answers are below, so DO NOT SCROLL ANY FURTHER IF YOU DON'T WANT TO SEE THEM.

Quordle today (game #1182) - the answers

(Image credit: Merriam-Webster)

The answers to today's Quordle, game #1182, are…

• DINER
• HORDE
• SHONE
• FUGUE

My winning streak continues, but today was far from easy and I spent quite a while entering my remaining letters, until I got to something that sounded right.

The only time I’ve heard the word FUGUE was in an early episode of Breaking Bad, when science-teacher-turned-drug-lord Walter White staged a fugue state to get out of a sticky situation.

How did you do today? Let me know in the comments below.

Daily Sequence today (game #1182) - the answers

(Image credit: Merriam-Webster)

The answers to today's Quordle Daily Sequence, game #1182, are…

• SWELL
• ITCHY
• PAPER
• GUILT

Quordle answers: The past 20

• Quordle #1181, Saturday, 19 April: GRADE, LAUGH, RAINY, EXULT
• Quordle #1180, Friday, 18 April: DEBUT, GLADE, BASTE, PESTO
• Quordle #1179, Thursday, 17 April: SPRAY, RAMEN, SHELF, COURT
• Quordle #1178, Wednesday 16 April: STUMP, GRAFT, CHORD, INPUT
• Quordle #1177, Tuesday 15 April: SLEET, MERIT, HARSH, FORAY
• Quordle #1176, Monday 14 April: DRAWL, CROOK, ACTOR, LANCE
• Quordle #1175, Sunday 13 April: SHALE, KINKY, SHORN, WHOOP
• Quordle #1174, Saturday 12 April: BLIND, OVOID, CACHE, THING
• Quordle #1173, Friday 11 April: FOLLY, PITHY, SCOWL, CURLY
• Quordle #1172, Thursday 10 April: LEAST, SEWER, UNTIE, NOOSE
• Quordle #1171, Wednesday 9 April: LITHE, LEFTY, KNOLL, MULCH
• Quordle #1170, Tuesday 8 April: WIDTH, VISOR, MEDAL, BROOK
• Quordle #1169, Monday 7 April: BROTH, SHOUT, BRUTE, CABIN
• Quordle #1168, Sunday 6 April: AMBER, GAUZE, STORE, SLICK
• Quordle #1167, Saturday 5 April: GUSTY, VAULT, WHINE, BEGAT
• Quordle #1166, Friday 4 April: OAKEN, LOOPY, CURIO, BUTTE
• Quordle #1165, Thursday 3 April: ASCOT, JETTY, DRUNK, JOLLY
• Quordle #1164, Wednesday 2 April: INDEX, QUEEN, INCUR, STOLE
• Quordle #1163, Tuesday 1 April: HUMUS, BALMY, WORRY, ERECT
• Quordle #1162, Monday 31 March: RECUT, MOODY, WHERE, BRACE

Daredevil: Born Again season 2 – key information

- No release date announced yet
- Filming began in late February
- No trailer available to watch
- Main cast set to return
- New additions to its ensemble cast leaked online in March
- No official story synopsis revealed
- Season 1 finale sets the scene for next season
- No word on whether there'll be a third season

Daredevil: Born Again season 2 will continue Matt Murdock and his vigilante alter-ego's journey in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU).

The highly-rated Disney+ TV show, which mostly thrilled us during its first season, will be back for more R-rated, street-level action in the near future. Indeed, with principal photography beginning in late February, season 2 could be with us as early as next year.

While we wait for Daredevil: Born Again to return, there's plenty to read about its sophomore chapter in this guide, including information on its cast, plot, and future. Major spoilers follow for the popular series' first season, so proceed with caution if you haven't watched it all yet.

Daredevil: Born Again season 2 release date – what we know so far

Born Again season 2 won't be with us until sometime in 2026 (Image credit: Marvel Studios/Disney+)

Daredevil: Born Again season 2 doesn't have a confirmed release date.

However, speaking on the Phase Zero podcast prior to season 1's release, Marvel's Head of TV, Animation, and Streaming, Brad Winderbaum, revealed season 2 would start shooting in late February. At the time of this article's publication (April 19), that means the cameras have been rolling for almost two months.

As for when the Marvel Phase 6 TV series might make its debut, Winderbaum told ScreenRant that he hoped new seasons would be released annually. That means Born Again season 2 could arrive sometime next year.

My best guess? It'll begin airing in early 2026. Aside from Avengers: Doomsday and Spider-Man: Brand New Day, which will arrive in theaters in May and July 2026, no other MCU projects have official release dates. With such a big gap between Marvel's final release of 2025 and Avengers 5, a February or March 2026 release window feels like a perfect fit for Born Again's next installment.

And it seems I've perfectly nailed my guess. Taking to Instagram after the season 1 finale, showrunner Dario Scardapane all but confirmed season 2 will be released in March 2026.

Is there a trailer for Daredevil: Born Again season 2?

Staring at your phone or computer screen waiting for a season 2 trailer like... (Image credit: Marvel Studios/Disney+)

No, and there won't be a Daredevil: Born Again season 2 trailer until much closer to its launch on Disney+. I'll update this section once one is released.

Daredevil: Born Again season 2 confirmed cast

Matt Murdock and Wilson Fisk will be part of next season's cast (Image credit: Marvel Studios/Disney+)

Spoilers follow for Daredevil: Born Again season 1.

Based on the final episode of Daredevil: Born Again season 1, here's who I expect to return for its follow-up:

• Charlie Cox as Matt Murdock/Daredevil
• Vincent D'Onofrio as Wilson Fisk
• Margarita Levieva as Heather Glenn
• Nikki M. James as Kristen McDuffie
• Deborah Ann Woll as Karen Page
• Jon Bernthal as Frank Castle/The Punisher
• Wilson Bethel as Benjamin Pointdexter/Bullseye
• Ayelet Zuhrer as Vanessa Fisk
• Genneya Walton as B.B. Urich
• Arty Froushan as Buck Cashman
• Michael Gandolfini as Daniel Blake
• Zabryna Guevara as Sheila Rivera
• Clark Johnson as Cherry
• Camila Rodriguez as Angela del Toro
• Hamish Allan-Headley as Conner Powell
• Tony Dalton as Jack Duquesne/Swordsman

They aren't the only actors we'll see in one of the best Disney+ shows' next installment.

Per Deadline, Matthew Lillard (Five Nights at Freddy's, Scooby-Doo) has apparently signed on in an undisclosed role. Deadline has also claimed Lili Taylor (Outer Range, Manhunt) will appear as a political rival to D'Onofrio's Fisk.

Elsewhere, images snapped and uploaded to Getty Images by Bauer-Griffin photographer Jose Perez suggest Broadway star Sydney Parra will appear in some capacity.

Fans thought Foggy had died in Born Again's first episode (Image credit: Marvel Studios/Disney+)

The biggest surprise when it comes to season 2's cast list, though, is the return of Elden Henson, who plays Franklin 'Foggy' Nelson.

Murdock's fellow lawyer and closest friend was seemingly killed by Bullseye in Born Again's first episode. However, following the show's two-episode premiere, Marvel fans came up with a wild theory that Foggy may still be alive. Some pointed out that Nelson's apparent death was eerily similar to how he faked his own demise in an Ed Brubaker-written Daredevil comic series in the mid-2010s, which Born Again is loosely based on.

Speaking to Phase Hero's Brandon Davis prior to season 1's debut, Winderbaum confirmed Elden Henson would be back as Foggy in the show's sophomore season. It's unclear in what capacity that'll be, though. Could it be a flashback sequence or two? Or, as some fans believe, is Foggy still alive? We'll find out when season 2 is released.

Daredevil: Born Again season 2 plot details

Matt Murdock is ready to take the fight to Wilson Fisk in season 2 (Image credit: Marvel Studios/Disney+)

Spoilers follow for Daredevil: Born Again season 1.

Born Again season 2's story synopsis hasn't been revealed yet. But, based on how its predecessor ended, what its cast has teased, and some leaked images from where it's being filmed in real-world locations, we have a good idea of what might happen.

I won't be covering what happened in last season's final episode here. For a full rundown of events in 'Straight to Hell', plus some key questions that season 2 needs to answer, my Daredevil: Born Again season 1 ending explained piece should be your first port of call.

Additionally, on the non-spoiler front, Cox hyped up the story that'll be told in season 2, the show's lead telling Collider that it's "some of my favorite stuff I've read". D'Onofrio also told a round table of journalists (per IGN) that he "had to have a little cry about" this season's scripts due to the emotional impact they'll have on viewers.

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But what can we expect from season 2's overarching narrative from a spoiler-led perspective? For starters, this season has been in development since March 2023. In light of the creative troubles Born Again season 1 was met with later that year, the show underwent an overhaul, which included the hiring of current showrunner Dario Scardapane and directors Justin Benson and Aaron Moorhead.

One thing that was retained, though, was its episodic structure. Like season 1, the show's sophomore outing will comprise eight episodes, which Scardapane reconfirmed to Collider in February.

As its predecessor's finale revealed, Matt Murdock and Karen Page co-founded an underground resistance movement that'll fight Fisk's fascist regime to regain control of New York's streets.

We already have a sense of how they'll start to do so, too. In late March, a bunch of first-look season 2 images appeared online that showed Murdock and Page wearing disguises (or what passes for a disguise in the MCU). Clearly, they're scoping out something or someone, or they're on the hunt for new allies to join their cause.

pic.twitter.com/MkWIh1cIDVApril 11, 2025

That won't be the only costume overhaul that Cox's Murdock will get in season 2. As some leaked images in the above X/Twitter post reveal, Murdock will be sporting Daredevil's classic black suit, complete with its red-colored 'DD' logo on the chest, next time around.

Bullseye, who Daredevil will pursue and/or escape from Fisk's Anti-Vigilante Task Force (AVTF) with, is also seen wearing an updated version of his classic costume. Clearly, the pair haven't heeded Fisk's warning about vigilantes taking to the streets amid the implementation of martial law in New York – part of his 'safer streets' initiative to eradicate the scourge of masked individuals from the city.

There are plenty more superhuman characters who could populate the street corner of the MCU, including those who appeared in Netflix's now-defunct Marvel TV universe. So, what are the chances of Jessica Jones, Luke Cage, and Iron Fist not only making their MCU debuts in season 2 but helping Daredevil combat the threat that the Fisks pose?

In conversation with Entertainment Weekly (EW), Winderbaum and fellow producer Sana Amanat wouldn't rule out one or all of those characters, or even the reintroduction of Elektra and The Hand, showing up in Daredevil: Born Again season 2.

Tom Holland's Spider-Man isn't likely to appear in season 2 (Image credit: Sony Pictures/Marvel Entertainment)

One hero who's incredibly unlikely to join Daredevil's cause (on the small screen, anyway) is Tom Holland's Spider-Man.

There were references to Spider-Man in Born Again episode 2 and Born Again episode 3. However, Sony Pictures owns the live-action rights to the webslinger, so, unless Marvel strikes an expensive deal with the tech giant's entertainment division, the chances of Peter Parker popping in to help take down Fisk are effectively zero. We live in hope, then, that The Devil of Hell's Kitchen will team up with Spidey in a big-screen project instead.

Where to watch Daredevil: Born Again season 1

You'll be waltzing to Disney+ to stream all nine episodes of Daredevil: Born Again (Image credit: Marvel Studios/Disney+)

Daredevil: Born Again season 1 is only available to stream on Disney+, aka one of the world's best streaming services.

If you haven't watched its nine episodes to date but are interested in doing so, you'll need to sign up for an account. Check out our Disney+ price guide for more on how much a subscription will cost you.

Will there be a third season of Daredevil: Born Again?

Frank Castle/The Punisher will star in his own Disney+ special, which could also arrive in 2026 (Image credit: Marvel Studios/Disney+)

Daredevil: Born Again season 2 is highly unlikely to have any impact on what'll happen in the next two Avengers movies or Spider-Man 4. However, other projects will be *ahem* born out of what happened last season and in the series' next outing.

The first of those will be a Disney+ special presentation starring Frank Castle/The Punisher. Per The Hollywood Reporter, it could be released in 2026, so events in this TV Special may run parallel to Born Again's next chapter. It's being co-written by Bernthal and We Own This City director Reinaldo Marcus Green, who has called it a "shotgun blast of a story" (via EW).

As I mentioned earlier, Marvel may look to revisit characters from Netflix's Defenders-Verse, too. Speaking to ComicBook.com, Winderbaum intimated it was "inevitable" that the likes of Jones, Cage et al. would make their MCU debuts before telling EW that the comic book giant was "very much exploring" ways to bring them over.

The devil, though, is in the details, so we'll see what shakes out of Daredevil: Born Again season 2 first before expecting too much, too soon on a potential The Defenders reunion.

For more Marvel coverage, read my guides on Thunderbolts*, The Fantastic Four: First Steps, Avengers: Doomsday, and Spider-Man: Brand New Day.

• British photographer Zed Nelson scoops SWPA's $25,000 top prize
• 10 category winners announced
• The exhibition is open to the public at London’s Somerset House until May 5

"In a tiny fraction of Earth's history, humans have altered the world beyond anything it has experienced in tens of millions of years. Scientists are calling it a new epoch: The Anthropocene – the age of human".

These are the opening words describing the Sony World Photography Awards 2025 winner Zed Nelson's project, The Anthropocene Illusion.

The project, spanning six years and four continents, explores humankind's consumer behaviour towards nature and wildlife.

"So, while we devastate the world around us, we have become masters of a stage-managed, artificial 'experience' of nature – a reassuring spectacle, an illusion...to mask our destructive impact on the natural world."

Powerful words and confrontational images of wildlife in zoos, national parks, and museums across the world, some of which I have included below.

Image 1 of 2

(Image credit: © Zed Nelson, United Kingdom, Photographer of the Year, Professional competition, Wildlife & Nature, Sony World Photography Awards 2025 - 9)Image 2 of 2

(Image credit: © Zed Nelson, United Kingdom, Photographer of the Year, Professional competition, Wildlife & Nature, Sony World Photography Awards 2025 - 4)

As I prepared to interview Zed during the opening day of the SWPA 2025 exhibition, which is being held at Somerset House in London until May 5, it struck me how severely AI is impacting the landscape of imaging in an equally tiny fraction of the history of photography.

I asked Zed for his thoughts on AI image generation in photography, and here's what he said.

"The biggest worry in documentary photography, is people stop believing in what they see. Already we're at the stage where we can see an image and the first questions are; Is this photoshopped? Did that really happen? Did you move something? Is that image real?

"The problem with that, is that the joy and beauty in photography is to see something and be amazed and think this did happen, this is real, this is a record – even for future generations – of who we were and what we did.

"If AI erodes people's belief in the medium (photography) then we have problems. On the other hand, it may be that we start valuing truth more. And if an image is declared real - this is not AI, but a document of reality – it may be that its value increases.

There will also be a move, a valuing of what is real, and so documentary work will start to become more important, not less.

"As AI multiplies it will cause problems, people will question what's real and what isn't. But I imagine there will also be a move, a valuing of what is real, and so documentary work will start to become more important, not less. People will crave it, they'll want to know it's real.

"I think there will be a separation between what is utterly created through AI, and what is declared real. We will gravitate to what is verified as real, made by people that care, and have a genuine interest in telling stories."

After our conversation, I amble through the SWPA exhibition, soaking in the diverse collection of very real images. A greater appreciation grows in me for those real stories, real people, real places, created in a real moment in time, and they impact me all the more.

I concur with Zed – even as AI-generated images become increasingly believable and plentiful, and the tools become easier and cheaper to access, we'll still need to know and experience what is real, and be moved by it.

We can't afford to be disconnected from photography because of AI image generation, in the same way that Zed suggests in his project that we have become disconnected from nature and are instead consumers of it.

I've included a selection of the SWPA winning images below. Even so, if you're in London, I highly recommend experiencing the exhibition firsthand and seeking out other photography shows near you. More details can be found at the World Photography Organisation website.

The Sony World Photography Awards 2025 winners for each category

The Sony World Photography Awards comprises 10 categories, and the winner of one of these categories is also awarded the overall photographer of the year. As mentioned, this year's award went to Zed Nelson, who also won the Wildlife & Nature category.

In addition to those categories, there is a student photographer and a youth photographer of the year award. I've included an image from each of those winners below.

In all, there were around 420,000 entries from 206 countries – a record for the 18-year-old contest.

WILDLIFE & NATURE WINNER & PHOTOGRAPHER OF THE YEAR: Zed Nelson (United Kingdom) for The Anthropocene Illusion (Image credit: © Zed Nelson, United Kingdom, Photographer of the Year, Professional competition, Wildlife & Nature, Sony World Photography Awards 2025 - 9)

OPEN PHOTOGRAPHER OF THE YEAR: Olivier Unia (France) (Image credit: © Olivier Unia, France, Open Photographer of the Year, Open Competition, Motion, Sony World Photography Awards 2025)

PERSPECTIVES WINNER: Laura Pannack (United Kingdom) for The Journey Home from School (Image credit: © Laura Pannack, United Kingdom, Winner, Professional competition, Perspectives, Sony World Photography Awards 2025 - 1)

SPORT WINNER: Chantal Pinzi (Italy) for Shred the Patriarchy (Image credit: © Chantal Pinzi, Italy, Winner, Professional competition, Sport, Sony World Photography Awards 2025)

CREATIVE WINNER: Rhiannon Adam (United Kingdom) for Rhi-Entry (Image credit: © Rhiannon Adam, United Kingdom, Winner, Professional competition, Creative, Sony World Photography Awards 2025 - 6)

DOCUMENTARY PROJECTS WINNER: Toby Binder (Germany) for Divided Youth of Belfast (Image credit: © Toby Binder, Germany, Winner, Professional competition, Documentary Projects, Sony World Photography Awards 2025 - 2)

STILL LIFE WINNER: Peter Franck (Germany) for Still Waiting (Image credit: © Peter Franck, Germany, Winner, Professional competition, Still Life, Sony World Photography Awards 2025 - 2)

ARCHITECTURE & DESIGN WINNER: Ulana Switucha (Canada) for The Tokyo Toilet Project (Image credit: © Ulana Switucha, Canada, Winner, Professional competition, Architecture & Design, Sony World Photography Awards 2025 - 3)

YOUTH PHOTOGRAPHER OF THE YEAR: Daniel Dian-Ji Wu (Taiwan, 16 years old) (Image credit: © Daniel Dian-Ji Wu, Taiwan, Youth Photographer of the Year, Youth Competition, Sony World Photography Awards 2025)

Student Photographer of the Year 2025: Micaela Valdivia Medina (Peru) (Image credit: © Micaela Valdivia Medina, Peru, Student Photographer of the Year, Student Competition, Sony World Photography Awards 2025 )

ENVIRONMENT WINNER: Nicolás Garrido Huguet (Peru) for Alquimia Textil (Image credit: © Nicolas Garrido Huguet)

PORTRAITURE WINNER: Gui Christ (Brazil) for M’kumba (Image credit: © Gui Christ ) You might also like

• 'It’s nothing to do with photography' – Sony World Photography Award winners tell us their mixed feelings about AI
• An entirely real photo wins an AI photo contest – and photographers finally have something to smile about
• These stunning iPhone Photography Award 2024 winners show you don't need an iPhone 16 upgrade after all

• Another iPhone 17 dummy unit image appears
• We can see all four expected models next to each other
• Some designs are changing on these models

Day by day we're getting closer to September and the expected launch of the iPhone 17, and ahead of the official reveal, we've seen several leaked images purporting to show off this series of handsets – including a new picture featuring all four models.

This comes from well-known tipster @MajinBuOfficial, who posted an image to social media showing dummy units of what we think are the iPhone 17 Pro Max, the iPhone 17 Air, the iPhone 17 Pro, and the iPhone 17.

They go down in size, starting with the iPhone 17 Pro Max as the biggest. That phone has been tipped to have a 6.9-inch display, with a 6.6-inch screen for the iPhone 17 Air, a 6.3-inch screen for the iPhone 17 Pro, and a 6.1 inch screen for the iPhone 17.

That's all largely similar to the current models in terms of screen size, though the iPhone 17 Air is a new addition, so we can't compare it to anything else. It's said to be replacing the iPhone 16 Plus in the line-up, which has a 6.7-inch display.

Cameras and charging

iPhone 17 Lineup pic.twitter.com/JidhEInOofApril 18, 2025

We can see here the rear camera bumps on these iPhones, which in the case of the iPhone 17 Pro Max and iPhone 17 Pro, are going to look substantially different to the ones on the current models – as we've seen from other leaked renders.

The four phone dummy units shown here all show MagSafe connectors too, apparently confirming that the wireless charging tech will be coming to these handsets. Rather unexpectedly, Apple left it off the iPhone 16e launched in February.

Dummy units like these are built based on schematics obtained from the supply chain, and help accessory makers – third-party case manufacturers for example – get their products ready ahead of a phone actually going on sale.

As always, we shouldn't take any of this information as being 100% accurate until it's confirmed by Apple. However, a lot of the leaks and rumors we've seen so far are consistent in the designs they're showing for these 2025 iPhones.

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Gather 'round, because we've got some tech tales to tell: TechRadar stories from the last seven days, covering new movie trailers, new instant cameras, new open-ear earbuds, problems for Spotify and Samsung, and more advances in artificial intelligence.

We keep waiting for the pace of tech news across gadgets, AI, and software to slow down, but it certainly hasn't happened this week. In fact, it feels like there's more news to cover than ever, and we aim to cover as many of the most important announcements as we can.

This comprehensive In Case You Missed It round-up will bring you right up to speed with everything that's happened in tech news over the past week, giving you just enough time to take a moment before we go again for another seven days of news and rumors.

8. 28 Years Later terrified us in a new trailer

More zombie mayhem is on the way (Image credit: Sony Pictures)

With the original director-writer combo of Danny Boyle and Alex Garland from the first movie making a return for this third instalment, our hopes were already high for 28 Years Later – and anticipation levels just went up an extra notch after another trailer drop.

The 191-second clip manages to give us just enough of a look at the movie to whet our appetites without giving too much away. It certainly seems as though there will be enough jump scares and zombie gore to make the upcoming movie a treat for horror fans.

• Read more: 28 Years Later looks like it will be the horror movie of the year in new trailer that shows how the deadly rage virus has evolved

7. We got our first glimpse of the imminent OnePlus 13T

(Image credit: OnePlus)

The next OnePlus phone launch is almost upon us, with the OnePlus 13T officially arriving on April 24. We can take a good, long look at the handset before then, though, because OnePlus has released a short video showing the phone in three different colors.

We can see a flat back, curvy corners, and a new button that's replacing the standard OnePlus alert slider on this handset. We've also had confirmation that the phone will sport a 6.32-inch screen, and a capacious 6,000 mAh battery as well.

• Read more: The OnePlus 13T is coming on April 24, and the company has already shown it off

6. Samsung’s One UI 7 rollout hit some serious snags

The Samsung Galaxy S24 (Image credit: Future | Roland Moore-Colyer)

Getting One UI 7 out to the masses has proved to be quite the challenge for Samsung, and just when we thought owners of Galaxy S24, Galaxy Z Fold 6, and Galaxy Z Flip 7 phones would be getting the update, the rollout was put on pause amid reports of a serious bug.

It's likely to mean that owners of older phones, including the Samsung Galaxy S23, are going to have to wait even longer to get their One UI 7 upgrade. With Android 16 (and therefore One UI 8) just around the corner, it's not a good look if you're Samsung.

• Read more: Samsung's One UI 7 update reportedly delayed due to a serious bug, extending the wait for Android 15

5. The music died in Spotify’s biggest outage in years

It's not been the best of weeks for Spotify (Image credit: Shutterstock / Diego Thomazini)

We found ourselves scrambling for our CD decks and radio dials on Wednesday – or maybe just YouTube – as Spotify suffered one of the most serious outages in history. Reports of unresponsive apps came flooding in from across the world for most of the day.

We still don't know exactly what happened to trigger such a major problem on Spotify's servers. Perhaps the music streaming service is too embarrassed to tell us, but the company did specifically say that it wasn't a cyberattack causing the extensive issues.

• Read more: Spotify was down – here's everything we know about its huge outage

4. Sennheiser gave us some AirPods-like open earbuds

We like the look of the Sennheiser Accentum Open earbuds (Image credit: Sennheiser)

Say hello to the Sennheiser Accentum Open, an AirPods-esque pair of open-ear earbuds that don't cost much at all: in Europe they're listed at €89.90, which should work out as around £100 / £78 / AU$161 when these attractive-looking earbuds go on sale elsewhere.

As well as being affordable, they look lightweight and promise 28 hours of battery life between charges (if you include the case). We haven't had a chance to test them yet, but we're hoping they live up to the usual high fidelity standards of Sennheiser's audio gear.

• Read more: OpenAI just upgraded memory for ChatGPT – here's everything you need to know

3. The Polaroid Flip took us back to the 90s

Old-school photography, courtesy of the Polaroid Flip (Image credit: Future / Lance Ulanoff)

The Polaroid Flip is the newest analog instant camera on the market, and it might just be the best, too – take a look at some of the snaps we've managed to capture with the device, and make your own mind up about this $199.99 / £199.99 camera (Australia pricing is TBC).

It's fast and fun to use, and it's a throwback to when photos weren't stuck inside your smartphone forever: these photos actually make you feel something. Our full Polaroid Flip review will give you the complete rundown on this camera and what it has to offer.

• Read more: These 8 photos made me believe the Polaroid Flip is the best analog instant camera on the market

2. Two of the world’s best fitness apps teamed up

Strava and Runna are teaming up (Image credit: Strava)

Strava, meet Runna. These are both fantastic apps for tracking runs and other activities, and now they've joined forces: Strava has announced it's purchased Runna, although nothing is going to change in terms of how the two apps operate for the time being.

The aim is to "create even greater value for our users," according to Strava CEO Michael Martin, and we can expect to see some of the AI-powered personalized training plans that Runna specializes in making their way over to users on Strava as well, in due course.

• Read more: Strava acquires powerhouse AI-training platform Runna, and Garmin should be panicking

1. ChatGPT got some serious upgrades (again)

OpenAI has some more treats for ChatGPT users (Image credit: Shutterstock/JarTee)

OpenAI has been consistent in regularly pushing out upgrades for ChatGPT users, and the latest update brings new o3 and o4-mini models across all user plans. These models are smarter, faster, and better at working with different modes (including text and images).

In fact, these models are a nod towards the eventual arrival of the big GPT-5 upgrade, which is somewhere in the pipeline, and will be able to do much more on its own. In the meantime, images in ChatGPT have also been given their own dedicated Library section.

• Read more: ChatGPT just got a massive upgrade that takes it to the next level – here are the 3 biggest changes

• Andor's lead actor has opened up about the end of the Star Wars TV show after two seasons
• Diego Luna is relieved that the Rogue One prequel series wasn't cancelled
• It was originally supposed to run for five seasons

Diego Luna believes it's the right decision on Disney's part to allow Andor to end after two seasons rather than one.

Chatting to TechRadar before Andor season 2 debuts on Disney+, Luna expressed satisfaction and relief over the opportunity to tell "the story we wanted to" in the Rogue One prequel series. Indeed, Luna was glad that Disney afforded him, showrunner Tony Gilroy, and the rest of the cast and crew the chance to wrap up its narrative, rather than cancel the show after a single season.

Luna's worries about the Star Wars TV series ending before its time aren't unfounded. Despite the critical acclaim and award nominations Andor's first season was met with, it's no secret that its development was a costly endeavor.

Originally, Andor was supposed to run for five seasons, with its final installment leading directly into the events of Rogue One, However, per a report published by Forbes last December, it's estimated that the price for creating its first two seasons was an astronomical $645 million.

Development on Andor's two seasons reportedly cost over $600 million (Image credit: Lucasfilm/Disney+)

With Disney cutting costs across the board during Bob Iger's second stint as CEO, Andor's five-season plan was never going to materialize.

Thankfully, during development on one of the best Disney+ shows' first season, Gilroy had a "great idea", according to Luna, to condense four seasons' worth of character arcs and wider storytelling into one more season comprising 12 episodes.

It's a format that Gilroy discussed with me prior to season 1's release in August 2022, with the series' head writer calling them "very sexy" time jumps that would depict a single yet important event in each of the four years leading up to the start of Rogue One. Each 12-month period will span three episodes apiece, therefore allowing each narrative the same time and space to depict their individual stories.

The Empire must be stopped. Artwork inspired by Andor and illustrated by @nadamaktari.Don’t miss the three-episode premiere of Andor, streaming April 22 only on @DisneyPlus. pic.twitter.com/h6vdkclbWhApril 17, 2025

"From the beginning [of this show], we knew what we wanted to do," Luna told me. "Structurally, the plan changed because we soon realized we couldn't commit to five seasons. It takes a lot of energy, time, and money to make one, because each season takes two and a half years of our lives.

"But, while we were shooting season one, Tony had this great idea of squeezing four seasons into one and essentially make four chapters.

"I also think that, today in long format storytelling and TV in general, a lot of shows start without knowing where or when they're going to end. But, from beginning to end, we told the story we wanted to tell and that's a beautiful thing to be able to do."

I'll have more exclusive content to bring you from my interviews with Diego and more of Andor's cast in the build up to, during, and after season 2's debut. In the meantime, read more of my Andor season 2 coverage below ahead of its April 22 launch in the US, and April 23 arrival in the UK and Australia.

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• IPVanish's malware and tracker blocking technology has been confirmed as one of the best on the market
• VIPRE Advanced Security received the highest rating in the latest AV-Comparatives' Malware Protection Test
• This achievement follows a successful independent audit confirming that IPVanish's no-log policy

Independent auditors have just confirmed that the technology behind IPVanish's malware and tracker-blocker tools is one of the best on the market.

VIPRE Advanced Security received the highest rating in the latest Malware Protection Test carried on by AV-Comparatives in March 2025. The antivirus bundle service stood out for its strong performance across several potential attack scenarios.

The results come about a week after an independent audit also confirmed that IPVanish never logs users' data, in line with what is stated in its no-log VPN policy.

A win for IPVanish users' security

In its latest Malware Protection Test, experts at AV-Comparatives checked the ability of 19 security products to detect and prevent infections from a wide range of malware threats. These include some of the best antivirus services like Avast, Bitdefender, McAfee, Norton, and more.

More than 10,000 of the most recent malware samples were tested on a fully updated Windows 11 machine, with the evaluation including offline and online scanning as well as live execution and mirroring real-world conditions.

VIPRE Advanced Security was among 10 providers to earn an Advanced+ rating from AV-Comparatives after excelling in all key metrics. Specifically, the tool detected 98.7% of threats consistently both online and offline, gaining a 99.93% protection score during live execution evaluations. It did all that while producing a minimum amount of false positives, too.

"This award is a win for all IPVanish users because the same cloud-based threat intelligence that earned VIPRE top marks is already working behind the scenes in IPVanish’s Threat Protection feature, along with our QR Code Checker and Link Checker security tools," the provider told TechRadar.

Our security just got a gold star. ⭐VIPRE, the engine behind IPVanish Threat Protection, earned AV-Comparatives’ top malware protection rating! That same power is built into your VPN. #IPVanish #CyberSecurity #AVComparatives #VPN #MalwareProtection https://t.co/k3LqbEoksTApril 16, 2025

IPVanish released its Threat Protection feature in March last year across all its apps, placing the provider alongside some of the best VPN services already offering a similar tool.

IPVanish Threat Protection works by filtering out third-party content before loading to preserve data usage while blocking third-party cookies and tracking scripts as well. At the same time, it prevents you from accessing known malicious websites, including phishing schemes and malware-embedded sites, to further protect users and their data.

Last June, IPVanish also launched a Link Checker service built on VIPRE's tech. The tool comes as a standalone website and is free to use for everyone, whether or not you're an IPVanish subscriber, to verify the safety of URLs before clicking and protect against phishing scams.

The provider has recently integrated a similar tool on its iOS and Android VPN apps. This is a QR Code Checker that allows users to scan QR codes to detect malicious links and phishing traps.

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Music has always had a love-hate relationship with technology. Every time a new tool shows up, there are some who are concerned that it will be the end of real music.

The same questions arose when the synthesizer appeared, when the drum machine became popular, and any time auto-tune is used on a popular song. But Cher proved that there was music after auto-tune, just as there is life after love.

Claims about the death of authenticity are almost always exaggerated, and accusations of 'cheating' sound absurd in retrospect. Eventually, people learn to sing along to the new tune, or at least admit that electric guitars didn't go around smashing up every acoustic version.

All that is overture for people playing the theme from Psycho over AI's presence in music. I'm not discounting the seriousness of a report by French streaming platform Deezer that 18% of songs being uploaded these days are entirely AI-generated. That’s over 20,000 robot-made tracks per day. Twice the number from just a few months ago. Cue the dramatic sting (you know the one, Dun, Dun, Dun!)

It’s easy to look at numbers like that and feel a little nervous. After all, the music industry already runs on razor-thin margins for most artists, and now the meager streaming revenue is going to go to robots? Add in the fact that major players like Universal, Sony, and Warner are actively suing AI music platforms like Suno and Udio for allegedly training on copyrighted songs, and you can see how high the stakes are.

The music industry is not the entirety of music, however. I firmly believe in robust protection for artists who face AI stealing their work or training on it to mimic them. But that's a business battle, not a war for the fate of human creativity.

AI has a place in the recording studio. Once upon a time, many people proclaimed that sampling portended the end of music, with a future of nothing but artists stealing other artists’ work. Now it’s the backbone of entire genres of music. Auto-tune has evolved from a gimmick to a legitimate tool across many music styles. And the aforementioned electric guitar was dismissed for being too loud within many people's lifetimes.

Nonetheless, here we are enjoying music made by people pushing buttons, twisting knobs, and bending sound in new ways. AI is just the latest tool. And like any tool, it’s only as good or bad as the person using it.

Allegro AI

(Image credit: Shutterstock)

What worries me isn’t the existence of AI music. It’s the idea that we might start mistaking it for a replacement instead of a collaborator. Left to its own devices, AI doesn’t make bad music, but it can feel empty or just a warmed-over imitation of real music. It’s elevator music, but more expensive.

That’s not to say it’s useless, far from it. AI can be a brilliant creative assistant. Stuck on a chord progression? It can help. Need to experiment with a new genre you’ve never written in? Fire it up. Want to turn a poem into a melody just to see what happens? Absolutely. AI can help bring the song in your head to life, but it won't do so without you as the source of the ideas.

The real debate should be about how to use AI in music, not whether to ban it outright. I'd be worried about the sheer number of AI songs appearing on streaming services if I were a musician, but not because AI created them. I'd be more concerned about where they are coming from, who's profiting from them, and if any artists' work was illicitly used to train the AI behind the songs.

And it's not like every human track is a unique snowflake. A lot of music shares DNA, and the most popular songs sometimes come across as only slightly tweaked versions of each other. Trends are trends, and algorithms have already been shaping what we listen to, nudging us toward the familiar, the market-tested, the sonically safe. AI isn’t creating that dystopia, though it may be speeding up the process.

Still, AI could be a boon to music as a whole. Imagine a rural teenager with few resources who can't hire a band, a piano teacher, or a recording studio. With a phone and some imagination, they could use free AI music tools to experiment and share the music in their minds.

AI music isn’t the death of music as a concept. It’s a powerful tool that should be handled carefully. It can be a shortcut, but it shouldn't be a thief, and it can't give a song any soul.

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• Samsung Galaxy XCover7 Pro revives the removable battery for power in rugged environments
• Dual programmable keys allow instant access to essential features and field apps
• Built tough with IP68, MIL-STD-810H and Gorilla Glass Victus+ protection

Samsung has officially introduced the Galaxy XCover7 Pro, a rugged smartphone that offers a rare return to basics with a standout feature missing from most modern devices – a 4,350mAh removable battery.

Powering the new smartphone is the mid-range 4nm Snapdragon 7s Gen 3 chipset, paired with 6GB of RAM and 128GB of internal storage, expandable via microSD card up to 2TB.

The XCover7 Pro features a 6.6-inch FHD+ TFT LCD with a 120Hz refresh rate, 20:9 aspect ratio, glove-friendly touch sensitivity, and Vision Booster for improved visibility. It is protected by Corning Gorilla Glass Victus+, offering resistance to drops, scratches, and disinfectants like ethanol and chlorine-based solutions.

A rugged smartphone built for real-world demands

Designed for frontline professionals, the Galaxy XCover7 Pro is IP68-rated for water and dust resistance and MIL-STD-810H certified for environmental durability, a benchmark for top-tier rugged phones and rugged tablets.

“At Samsung, we understand that frontline professionals need technology that adapts to their fast-paced and demanding work environments,” said Jerry Park, EVP and Head of Global Mobile B2B Team, MX Business at Samsung Electronics.

Although this device focuses on durability, it includes a 50MP wide main sensor and an 8MP ultra-wide lens on the rear. For selfies, there's a 13MP front camera with an f/2.2 aperture.

The business smartphone supports both physical SIM and eSIM. Connectivity options include 5G Sub-6, LTE, Wi-Fi 6E, Wi-Fi Direct, Bluetooth 5.4, and NFC. For navigation, the device supports GPS, GLONASS, Galileo, BeiDou, and QZSS, though availability may vary by region.

Weighing 240g, the XCover7 Pro includes a POGO pin interface for use with dedicated charging docks (sold separately), and two programmable hardware keys - the Top Key and XCover Key - which can be programmed to specific apps or features.

“The Galaxy XCover7 Pro combines ruggedized durability, enterprise-grade security, seamless connectivity and intuitive AI-driven features to help businesses operate efficiently in harsh conditions while maximizing productivity and minimizing downtime,” Park added

The device is priced at £559 in the UK and will be available starting April 2025. There's no word on US pricing at the moment.

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The moment when you think it's time to start charging your smartphone is probably as personal as your hairstyle. I doubt anyone fully agrees on when to plug back in, except when you're completely out of juice. While some might be fine with 50% in the middle of the day, others might panic, just a little, when they hit 38%. At least that's what a new study from Talker Research says.

In a survey of 2000 people in the US, researchers found that 38% is when the concern creeps in, and the majority of smartphone owners start searching for a charging option.

A third of the respondents wait until, for instance, their iPhone warns them the battery is running low (20% or less), and 13% are willing to wait until the power drops below 10%.

I've seen people take far riskier approaches, with as little as 1% left on their phone, and, somehow, they seem unconcerned. Perhaps they always have an extra battery backup in their back pocket.

The research, though, indicates there may be some generational differences in our battery approach. Gen Zers reach for a charging cable far sooner than their Millennial, Gen X, and Boomer counterparts, plugging in as soon as 44%.

When do you start panicking about a low phone battery life?April 18, 2025

In my own anecdotal survey on X, I found the majority start worrying about battery life when it reaches 20%. That's even more than those who seem concerned at 10%.

This makes sense to me. 20% has long been my trigger, which means I plug and rarely see 10% or less. There is, by the way, a small contingent who charge up when the battery life hits 60%. They are, I bet, part of the "ABC" (Always Be Charging) crowd.

I got a few comments on X telling me there was no need to "panic" and that they found that some phones, like the Samsung Galaxy series, had good enough battery life that they rarely worry.

What you can do

The thing is, you have far more control over the life and longevity of your smartphone battery than you might think.

First of all, Android and iOS, along with hardware-based AI and machine learning, do their fair share to manage battery life, especially the longevity of the battery. That's why your battery doesn't always charge to 100%. The system has to manage the battery's health so that the 100% battery life you experience when you first buy the phone is not radically different from the 100% battery life you get six months later.

Under Settings/Battery, you can see the health of your battery and the percentage it can actually charge to (95% capacity, 80% capacity, etc.)

For day-to-day battery life, there are a handful of well-worn tips for both iOS and Android that can significantly extend your charge while having minimal impact on the phone's operation.

So, instead of panicking about 38% battery life, you can take charge, and maybe show friends who let the battery life drop to 10% what to do so they can make it through the rest of the night without being tethered to a wall outlet.

iPhone battery tips

• Dim your brightness (under Control Center)
• Turn on Auto Brightness (Under Settings/Accessibility)
• In WiFi settings, turn off cell service
• Enable Low Power Mode (Under Settings/Battery)
• Turn off background activity (Settings/General/Background App Refresh)
• Adjust mail fetch intervals (Settings/Accounts and Passwords/Fetch new data)
• Turn off location services on an app-by-app basis (Settings/Privacy/Location Services)
• Tamp down notifications (Settings/Notifications)

Android battery tips

• Reduce screen brightness (swiped down from the top to access control)
• Adjust your screen timeout setting (usually under Settings/Display)
• Use Dark Mode (usually under Settings/Display)
• Turn off keyboard vibrations and sounds (Settings/sounds and vibration)
• Turn on Power Saving (Settings/Battery)
• Turn on Put unused apps to sleep (Settings/Battery/Background Usage Limits)
• Turn off cell service in WiFi situations (Settings/Connections)

There are more ways to manage battery life and, especially in Android phones, battery-saving features specific to each manufacturer. I suggest you dig into your settings to see what you can adjust.

If all else fails, it's always a good idea to travel with a cable and charge adapter, and also a portable charger.

ABC folks, A...B...C.

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• Opera has added its AI assistant Aria to the Opera Mini browser for Android
• Users can access real-time information, summarize text, and generate images in the lightweight Android browser
• The Opera Mini version of Aria is optimized for low data usage and older devices

Opera is giving a major AI upgrade to its Opera Mini mobile web browser. The company is embedding its Aria AI assistant into the Android version of Opera Mini, whose low-cost, data-saving approach to browsing is used by more than a hundred million people globally.

Aria will aid Opera Mini users by answering questions, generating text or software code, creating images, summarizing webpages, and pulling real-time info from the internet. Aria relies on Composer, Opera’s own AI engine, which stitches together tools and models from both OpenAI and Google, including making images with Google’s Imagen 3 model.

"AI is rapidly becoming an integral part of the daily internet experience – bringing Aria to Opera Mini is a natural addition to our most-downloaded browser," Opera executive vice president Jørgen Arnesen explained in a statement. "With the addition of our built-in AI, Aria, we’re excited to explore how AI can further enhance the feature set our users rely on every day.”

Pianissimo Opera AI

Opera Mini is popular because it can provide a web browser that doesn't use too much bandwidth. AI assistants like ChatGPT or Google Gemini tend to rely on a significant amount of energy and computational power. In many parts of the world, AI features are only available to people with the latest flagship phones, massive storage, or expensive subscriptions.

What Opera Mini is doing with Aria offers an alternative, one built to fit a browser already designed for places with unreliable connections, slow speeds, and high data costs. If you have an Android device, you can simply update the Opera Mini browser and start using Aria.

The release sets an interesting precedent. As AI becomes a staple in digital tools, developers have to consider not only how to make AI smarter and more powerful but also more flexible and accessible to people in different circumstances. Opera Mini's addition of Aria could end up being the example developers refer to when creating an AI assistant that won't eat up all your storage space or data budget.

Opera has teased that other new Mini features are in the pipeline, though it hasn’t said exactly what they will be. If the new features blend with the browser like Aria, it could end up as a semi-independent path toward AI adoption, one very different from its flashier cousins.

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• Ryan Gosling is officially joining the Star Wars universe
• He'll play an all-new character in Star Wars: Starfighter, which hit theaters in May of 2026
• The casting and film were announced at Star Wars Celebration in Japan

While we’ve known there are some feature-length Star Wars films in the works, up until late last night – April 17, 2025 – we only knew that the Mandalorian and Grogu would make the jump to the big screen next Memorial Day, May 26, 2026.

But hold your blue milk – there’s another brand-new Star Wars film set for May 2027, and it starts production this Fall. Even better, it’s directed by Shawn Levy, the man behind the incredibly excellent Deadpool & Wolverine, but maybe even better is the fact that Ryan Gosling is joining the Star Wars universe.

Yes, the actor with his roots in the Mickey Mouse Club and the person who played Ken in Barbie, will be playing an all-new character in Star Wars: Starfighter. The title of the forthcoming film certainly has intrigue, but not a whole lot else about the plot or the storyline is known.

Star Wars: Starfighter comes to theaters on May 28, 2027. #StarWarsCelebration pic.twitter.com/dsbVb3VdBYApril 18, 2025

The casting was announced on stage at Star Wars Celebration 2025 in Japan. Starfighter will be a stand-alone film that is set five years after The Rise of Skywalker. Gosling was wearing a hat with the phrase, “Never tell me the odds.” on it, a Han Solo quote which might hint that this will be an action-packed adventure film. And it will be turning a new page as the Skywalker saga will be concluded by this point.

Star Wars: Starfighter is slated to begin production this fall and will be released on Memorial Day 2027, which means May 28. After a year, Star Wars is set to return to big screen with The Mandalorian & Grogu.

While we have footage of both Gosling and Levy on stage at Celebration 2025, the only other piece of media is a logo, title teaser for the Starfighter film. It’s a journey we’ll be following closely on TechRadar, though.

Sam Witwer has surprised fans at the Lucasfilm Animation 20th anniversary #StarWarsCelebration panel. https://t.co/l7Y4C7Zr3M pic.twitter.com/M76x28yJFSApril 18, 2025

Also announced at Star Wars Celebration 2025 is a new animated series titled, Maul: Shadow Lord. And this will be excellent news for fans of The Clone Wars, among other animated shows in the Star Wars universe. Better yet, Sam Witwer will be reprising his role to voice Maul in this show. Maul: Shadow Lord will be exclusive to one of the best streaming services, Disney+, when it arrives in 2026.

If you’re looking for more of the latest news from Star Wars Celebration 2025, stick with TechRadar. We’ve already gotten a closer look at Lucasfilm’s Beyond Victory title for the Meta Quest 3S and 3, a slew of new Lego sets, and a bunch more Celebration-exclusive products that are appearing on Amazon.

That helps with the fomo a bit, but I do hope Star Wars continues the trend of the Mandalorian movie and puts the BDX Droids in Starfighter.

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It’s no secret that we here at TechRadar use Filmmaker or Movie picture mode, depending on the TV, during our testing when we’re reviewing TVs – we've written about why in our explanation of how we test TVs. As one of TechRadar’s TV reviewers, I find that these modes generally give the most accurate colors, contrast and textures when compared with most other picture modes, even on the best TVs.

That said, some TVs actually have a very good Standard mode, which can be useful for daytime, broadcast TV or brighter, more colorful movies. And of course, picture mode choice is subjective; not everyone will like the dimmer, warm-favoring Filmmaker Mode.

One thing that all of us here at TechRadar will stand by, however, is our feelings on Vivid modes; they're bad. Or at least they're the worst of the picture modes. Colors are often oversaturated, textures are too sharp and brightness is dialled up way too high, overblowing bright sections of the picture.

To demonstrate, I put the LG G5 OLED TV (one of the best OLED TVs of 2025 which earned five-out-of-five in our LG G5 review) next to the Panasonic MZ1500 (one of the best mid-range OLEDs of the last few years) playing the same scene from Wicked.

In the below pictures, you’ll see I cycle through the G5’s different Dolby Vision picture modes, while the MZ1500 stays in the most accurate Dolby Vision Dark mode as a point of reference – we love the MZ1500 for its natural picture and accuracy, so this provides a great baseline.

The LG G5 is on the left and the Panasonic MZ1500 is on the right for all images.

Dolby Vision Filmmaker

(Image credit: Future)

In Dolby Vision Filmmaker Mode, the G5 demonstrates natural-looking colors that also still deliver the vibrant, dynamic punch you’d want when viewing a colorful movie like Wicked. Textures are also true-to-life, with both Elphaba’s skin and the surrounding stone walls displayed with real accuracy.

There’s also good contrast on display here, with the blue inlays balancing well with the beige stone, and Elphaba’s black dress also contrasting well with the brighter surroundings, including the glossy pink flowers.

Dolby Vision Cinema

(Image credit: Future)

Compared with Dolby Vision Filmmaker, Dolby Vision Cinema shows a boost in brightness, which means colors have a bit more punch and the brighter tones of the picture (the beige, stone walls) appear that little bit lighter.

Crucially however, textures and details are still accurate and natural, as are colors, and contrast between light and dark tones (the walls with Elphaba’s dress) are still balanced. Although I still prefer Filmmaker Mode, this is a very close second.

Dolby Vision Standard

(Image credit: Future)

Dolby Vision Standard goes even brighter than Dolby Vision Cinema mode and favors a cooler color palette than both Filmmaker Mode and Cinema mode. The beige walls take on a slighter whiter hue, but again colors get that injection of higher brightness.

This is where textures and colors straddle the line between accurate and oversaturated, with the pink flowers now starting to take on a glossier, shinier look (which isn’t always better). Elphaba’s green skin remains mostly true-to-life however and contrast is still solid enough.

Dolby Vision Vivid

(Image credit: Future)

And then there’s Dolby Vision Vivid. Yes, there’s a significant brightness boost, which in this instance shows just how bright the LG G5’s new Primary Tandem RGB, or ‘four-stack’, OLED panel can go. While some may like the increase in brightness, this is where accuracy takes a real hit.

The pink flowers now take on an oversaturated, ‘neon’ pink color and as a result, definition between each flower is lost. Textures start to lose their true-to-life look as well, with the cracks in the walls all too well-defined, taking on an unnatural, over-sharpened appearance.

Even the blue details on the walls, which were more subtle in other picture modes, stand out too much and again take on this unrealistic tone. The details on Elphaba’s dress, such as the creases and buttons, also stick out like a sore thumb, taking on the horrible ‘uncanny valley’ effect.

Browse all the above images:

Image 1 of 4

Dolby Vision Filmmaker on the G5 (Image credit: Future)Image 2 of 4

Dolby Vision Cinema on the G5 (Image credit: Future)Image 3 of 4

Dolby Vision Standard on the G5 (Image credit: Future)Image 4 of 4

Dolby Vision Vivid on the G5 (Image credit: Future) Avoid Vivid

Interestingly, the LG G5 is actually one of the better examples of Vivid I’ve come across in my time testing TVs. But that’s because it’s an elite OLED! Even then, I’d still avoid its Vivid mode like the plague. If Filmmaker Mode isn’t for you, Cinema or Standard should offer more than sufficient enough brightness without sacrificing accuracy or true-to-life colors and textures.

Yes, Wicked is a naturally bold and dynamic movie with an exaggerated color palette (green is a pretty central theme after all) but even then, it shouldn’t look as overexaggerated as Vivid would suggest.

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